>not long after celebrating how xcode now supports dynamic layouts...you know, the thing that Android did a half a decade ago, and was widely deridden as "running smartphone apps on a tablet"
The way Xcode (and iOS8) support dynamic layouts is nothing like Android.
Xcode 6 allows you to have multiple designs/constaints within the same UI file, for different screen sizes.
Dynamic layout a'la Android is "one size fits all", which is no way similar to what's Apple doing.
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Since I'm getting heavily downvoted, I'd like at least a chance to clarify.
I'm perfectly aware that it is technically possible to create universal tablet/phone Android app, with separate layouts for each. However, that's not what's usually being done.
I believe reasons for this for two-fold:
1. Google's initial message after introducing tablets didn't push hard enough for separate UI (or didn't at all)
2. Developers mentality
@2: I think it's just a different way that the two ecosystem operates.
When Apple tells developers to jump, devs ask how high.
When Google tells developers to jump, they go "yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man".
No, on Android, you create as many specific layouts as you want, based on combinations of screen size, density, orientation, language, etc. Within each of those layouts, you specify how you want the system to scale the UI up for those you don't specify.
Dynamic layout a'la Android is "one size fits all", which is no way similar to what's Apple doing.
Aside from CSS-type "responsive" design, Android layouts have always had resource tags, which means that you can set different layouts for screen sizes, orientations, pixel densities, cultures, text direction, and so on.
Apps that didn't demonstrate this on tablets were as they were because the developers were lazy or simply didn't care, not because of a limitation of the platform.
"As practiced" is key. The two systems have the same capabilities, and as far as I can tell are about equally easy to use "correctly". On Android, a lot of developers have used the system to build apps which just expand stupidly on tablets. Will Apple developers do the same, or will they be smarter? Either way, it won't be because of the underlying technology.
The way Xcode (and iOS8) support dynamic layouts is nothing like Android.
Xcode 6 allows you to have multiple designs/constaints within the same UI file, for different screen sizes.
Dynamic layout a'la Android is "one size fits all", which is no way similar to what's Apple doing.
___
Since I'm getting heavily downvoted, I'd like at least a chance to clarify.
I'm perfectly aware that it is technically possible to create universal tablet/phone Android app, with separate layouts for each. However, that's not what's usually being done.
I believe reasons for this for two-fold:
1. Google's initial message after introducing tablets didn't push hard enough for separate UI (or didn't at all) 2. Developers mentality
@2: I think it's just a different way that the two ecosystem operates. When Apple tells developers to jump, devs ask how high. When Google tells developers to jump, they go "yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man".